From: Ryann
All children grow up being told indirectly that there is a certain way to do things. You are either a boy or a girl and you can either be a teacher or an astronaut. Around the age of 3 is when these ideas really start to make their way into the forefront of children’s minds. Boys play harder and rougher, and girls talk more. They also know what toys to play with: whether it is a boy toy or a girl toy or both. But you should not dare play with a boy toy if you are a girl. Barbies are not for boys. Trucks are not for girls. How about you play with something that will not hurt you “sweetheart.” This photo captures these subconscious ideals that are pushed on to children growing up. How you should only play with what was meant for you and how these things dictate how children communicate – specifically those assigned female at birth.
One looks at this picture and would presume they are girls. Why? Because they are playing with dolls instead of the trucks and dinosaurs that are right next to them. Also, the background is white symbolizing female adolescents as pure. Notice how the trucks and dinosaurs are pushed to the side and the dolls are neatly in a circle indicating how the rough play of boys is too much for the girls to handle. The social hierarchy of these two girls is determined by a few factors. First, there is one girl on top showing literal power of being on top of the social pyramid. Second, her dolls are also bigger than the other girl’s dolls which brings the viewer’s attention to the girl on top because her dolls take up more space. Third, the color. The top girl’s dolls are primarily purple – which symbolizes royalty – and green – which symbolizes greed. The bottom girl has dolls that are primarily yellow – positivity – and white – innocent. Within the female social pyramid, those seen as royal are typically more popular and with that, those seen as more innocent and positive will allow the more popular to get their way to keep the space positive.
In “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood” it is stated that the gender segregation that is made from children playing with only boy or girl toys allows the social interactions to develop. This is how girls get the subtle social aggression in group settings that determine one as the top of the pyramid and the others trickling down. This gender segregation is made from the idea that some toys are only made for boys, and some are only made for girls and strictly allowing only one or the other depending on their gender. If these ideals were not pushed on children as they were developing, children would be more likely to play with the opposite sex, grow up together and interact in the same way without confusion.
Rudman, Laurie A., et al. "The Two Cultures of Childhood." The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. The Guilford Press, 2015.
2 comments:
From: Jamie
Hello Ryann. I love the way you took this picture and the meaning behind it. You explained this very well, from the usage of foreground and background, space, and color. I, too, have experienced this societal standard from a young age in that girls should play with girls toys and boys should play with boys toys. I have experienced this, you have experienced this, and I'm sure almost every other child in the United States has also been trapped in these gender norms and conformities. The way the picture is an overview which cuts out the individual’s faces is very important. The fact that the faces are not seen in the picture is a creative technique that represents generalization. This is not a problem that affects some children here and there, this is something that affects most children in the United States, specifically. This is not on an individual level, it is very broad and encompasses a large percentage of children. In this picture you took, if the faces were shown it would not have the effect of encompassing children around the country. It would paint a picture that this problem may not be as widespread and important as it actually is. Not having the faces in the picture makes it more abstract and more general. I don’t know if this was intentional or not but it really helped to further your message regarding the gender norms and societal expectations in this country and the world overall.
From: Jenna
Hi Ryann. I like how you segregated the toys between traditionally male and female, it goes to show the concept of gender stereotypes being taught at a young age. I think it's interesting to think about how the dolls are placed in relation to one another and how that translates to interaction styles. In "He said, She said: Gender, Language and Communication", it is discussed how females tend to sit closer to one another when conversing (Tannen). The same concept is demonstrated with the dolls gathered in a circle talking amongst one another. You did a great job with this assignment and I like how methodically you place everything in your image.
Work Cited
Tannen, Deborah. He Said, She Said: Gender, Language and Communication. Into the
Classroom Media, 2013.
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